Chesapeake Bay Shutters: Giving you a different view on life

Chesapeake Bay Shutters in Hampton, Va., creates real wood plantation shutters for all window sizes and styles and for all home, business and community needs. Visit ChesapeakeBayShutters.com for more information; the company's shutters will be featured in the Charity House at the Parade of Homes Sept. 18-Oct. 2. Read more about the company at RoomandYard.com. (Courtesy Chesapeake Bay Shutters)

There's a feeling of family in the air and work style at Chesapeake Bay Shutters in Hampton, where 11 employees cut, assemble, sand, paint and install plantation shutters for homes and businesses.

Shop foreman Josef Davis and sander Melvin Holley have worked there for nine and 13 years, respectively. Liz Dorsey, who cuts and sands, is a 10-year veteran. Sander-painter Chris Backus, who has been there eight years, grew up with owner Pat Lowe and partner Ron Phillips, all Hampton natives.

"Keeping the business small is a good decision," says Phillips

"They all have a specialty but know about everything in case someone is out. It's worked very nicely."

Smallness has not always been the case at the company, which started with shutters from a larger company in Georgia 20 years ago. In 1995, Lowe and Phillips relocated the business to what used to be a Hampton Chevrolet body shop, a bonus for what they were doing because it already had a city-approved paint booth that would work for painting shutters. Phillips oversees the 7,000-square-foot, concrete block shop built in the 1950s, while Lowe trains and works with five sales reps.

Four years ago, the company employed 31, ran an interior decorating shop in Williamsburg and covered a multi-state geographical area. But the economy and some health issues for Lowe made them downsize, which they now consider a blessing in disguise.

"This is better than trying to be all things to all people," says Lowe.

"Now, we can concentrate on what we really do best — custom-made wood plantation shutters."

Time has also taught them lessons about making shutters better and stronger. Wood for shutters is best when it has no sap to cause yellow stains and is stable enough to resist warping. Over time, basswood from the linden tree has beat out the poplar and cottonwood lumber they once used. Hardware that lasts for years includes nylon-tip dowels that the louvers pivot on, glue-coated, galvanized staples that connect the louver to the tilt rod and 3-inch aluminum alloy screws that will not pit and rust.

"With the high humidity in this area, inferior wood and hardware just won't hold up," says Phillips.

Proud of its "Made in the U.S.A," label, the company gets its wood from mills in West Virginia and Wisconsin. Primed and sanded, the basswood arrives in 15-foot lengths. Once the louvers and framing pieces are cut, all raw edges are sanded and primed. Sherwin-Williams acrylic paint in more than 60 variations of white is used to finish the louvers; custom colors can be done at no extra charge.

"Typically, people match the shutters to their trim," says Lowe.

"The paint is like a cabinet acrylic, really hard finish and resistant to fading and scratching. Touch up is really easy, if needed."

Cleaning the shutters, which come with 21/2 - to 51/2 -wide louvers, is fairly easy. A lamb's wool duster takes care of most clean ups, while Fantastic or Soft Scrub is good for any marks.

"Crayolas cleans right off the hard finish," says Lowe.

"If louvers get damaged, we can replace them in five minutes."

Typically, the cost of the plantation shutters average $250 to $300 per window, and can be designed to go on any size windows, including sliding glass doors, floor-to-ceiling windows and even arched church and business windows. They help insulate your home, and are considered allergy free.

"They also go with any décor," says Lowe.

"And with any generation," says Phillips.

"We're getting the children of our customers now. That's fun."

Parade of Homes

What: Peninsula Housing and Builder Association's Parade of Homes showcase of seven single- and two multi-family homes. The custom-built, furnished and landscaped residences are part of Hampton's certified green community, meaning each home must save at least 15 percent on heating and cooling costs by adhering to standards established by EarthCraft Virginia or the National Association of Home Builders Green Building program. The homes are within walking distance of green spaces and the beach.

Prices: $260,000 and up for multi-family homes; $390,000 and up for single-family homes

Special feature: Charity House by Edgerton Contracting to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of the Virginia Peninsula and Downtown Hampton Children Development Center. Local contractors, including Chesapeake Bay Shutters in Hampton, have donated labor and materials to help build the 2,200-square-foot house, priced at $399,900.

Admission: $10 adults, ages 12 and under free.

Info: peninsulahousing.org or 595-1600.

•See the Good Life section of the Sept. 18 Daily Press for a story on the homes and a list of special events.